Many aspects of life have changed since he swapped his home in Putney, south west London for an apartment above the About Asia office in Angkor, north west Cambodia.

“One of the biggest differences for me is the weather. In London I would go to work in the dark and come home in the dark,” he said.

“I know that tomorrow I shall wake up to a beautiful blue sky, and that makes a huge difference to my mood and my day.”

Many things about his travel company set it apart from other operators. For starters, 100 per cent of the profits are ploughed back into Cambodia’s under-resourced education system to give thousands of children a better start in life.

The money has helped improve more than 100 schools across the country - which was brought to its knees by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s - and the lives of more than 50,000 students.

There has been very little need to build schools from scratch, but high demand to supply existing ones with more resources.

“There are a lot of moneyed people who build schools in Cambodia and then just forget about them,” explained Booth.

“There are lots of newly built schools that are woefully under funded, so we adopt schools, providing support where we can with books, computers and teachers.”

About Asia has 17 full-time teachers on its payroll who come from all walks of life. They include trainee teachers, academics looking for a fresh challenge and mid-life career-changers.

Although he has no stressed-out ex-bankers on the books, given the new lease of life the agency has given Booth, it’s probably only a matter of time before they seek him out.

He has lived and breathed Cambodia since he first visited the country in 2002, and can easily recommend a good restaurant in Siem Reap or a unique blend of local coffee.

About Asia tour guides are equally knowledgeable after receiving extensive training in everything from photography and archaeology to plant life and cycling.

With this level of research and attention to detail, the company has built up a fan base of passionate travellers who want something more than a formulaic itinerary.

Packages can be tailor-made to include, for example, a day’s hot-air ballooning, kayaking across Tonlé Sap lake or picnicking in a secluded jungle.

It is these memorable experiences that draw visitors from as far afield as the US, the UK, Italy and Australia.

Booth said: “Some clients are extremely upmarket, flying in on private jets for a whistle-stop tour of Asia. But the packages aren’t priced at the top end. It’s just that the effort and research is appreciated more by discerning travellers.”

Booth is keen that his philanthropy should not be taken the wrong way, explaining: “We don’t want the sympathy vote. We want people to come and have a great experience using the local knowledge myself and my team have built up.

“Some people do travel with us because of what we do with our profits. But just because we are non-profit doesn’t make us woolly. Our staff are paid the market rate and we run ourselves as a commercial entity.”

Despite downplaying his altruism, the non-profit approach does help open doors in Cambodia.

“People in remote villages give us and our customers a super warm welcome as we are helping their children get an education,” said Booth.

“We get into places other travel companies don’t, given this huge goodwill.”